Adult occupant

The passenger compartment of the Qashqai remained stable in the frontal impact. Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of the driver and passenger. Nissan showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different positions. The driver dummy scored maximum points, with good protection of all body regions. Likewise, maximum points were scored in the side barrier test with all parts of the body well protected. Even in the more severe side pole test, all body regions were well protected apart from the chest, protection of which was adequate. The front seats and head restraints provided marginal protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision. A geometric assessment of the rear seats indicated good protection against whiplash.

Child occupant

The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position. Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded. The dangers of using a rearward-facing restraint in that seat without first disabling the airbag are clearly indicated inside the vehicle. All of the child restraints could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

Pedestrian

The bumper scored maximum points for the protection provided to pedestrians' legs. The front edge of the bumper showed good results in test sites near the centre of the car but was predominantly poor in more outboard locations. The protection provided by the bonnet was predominantly good or adequate with some poor results recorded on the stiff windscreen pillars.

Safety assist

The Nissan Qashqai is equipped as standard with electronic stability control and seatbelt reminders for the front and rear seats. These systems met Euro NCAP's requirements. An autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system is optional and its high-speed, inter-urban functionality performed adequately. Low-speed AEB systems, which provide protection in towns and cities, must be fitted as standard to be assessed by Euro NCAP so this part of the system's functionality was not assessed. A lane departure warning system is also an option on the Qashqai and met Euro NCAP's requirements. An optional speed assistance also helps to ensure safe driving: a camera-based sign recognition system informs the driver of the current limit and a driver-set limiter can be used to ensure that the set speed is not exceeded.